Water Play Day

The Children's Center has a weekly "Water Play Day" during the summer months. It couldn't come at a better time this week with the record breaking heat wave we've had here in Kentucky. Emma LOVES the water, and from the few minutes I caught down there earlier today - she loves spraying water on her little buddies too!

East Meets West - Community Picnic

The Crane House http://www.cranehouse.org
invited the local China Adoptive families to an Asian Community picnic this past weekend. Their invitation was titled "In Celebration of Friendship Amongst the East & the West". There were quite a few Asian families but sadly enough, only two adoptive families. We're not quite sure why the turnout was so low but we had a wonderful time. Each family was asked to bring a side dish and the Crane House supplied the drinks and meat. The food was incredibly, incredibly good! YUM!

It's an odd feeling to be the minority in a group setting in the middle of the good ol' USA, especially when most of the attendees were speaking in their native tongue. Even the announcements were made mainly in Mandarin. Anyway, it was a great opportunity for Emma to be around people who share her heritage and reminds me that I do need to get her enrolled in the local Chinese school for language and heritage classes. We've held off because the classes are held on Sunday and that's about the only day of the week we have as family time. Emma and I were talking to the little girl that is shown pushing Emma on the swingset and she told us that she was from China and I told her that Emma was too. She asked me why then could Emma not speak Chinese!

Hand in Hand

Hands
(Grace Noll Crowell)

My hand is large and hers is small,
And there is nothing on earth at all

More important than the task
That lies ahead of me, I ask

For wisdom, Lord, that I may lead
This child aright; her every need

Depends on me. Be Thou my guide
That I, in walking by her side,

May choose the right paths for her feet.
The days are swift, the years are fleet,

Mark me alert in deed and word
As we go forward, blessed Lord:

Her precious clinging hand in mine,
With always, Lord, my hand in Thine.


Some may think this picture was an odd request for a photographer, but my goal was to capture some of the real life moments of our children. Some of my favorite memories are not necessarily some of the things we've done, but moments I can picture in my mind. It seems like those "stay with you moments" are those tender times between us. I've tried capturing some of those on film, but I'm just no where near being as creative as Elizabeth. Is there anything more touching than a father holding the hand of his daughter? Or a father walking along a path with his son?

My next project is to capture a portion of Brian & Emma's morning ritual as we are getting ready to leave for work. Brian picks her up and sits her on the table in front of him and Emma gets right in front of him, nose to nose and then gives him the most tender kiss I've ever seen in my life.

First Day of School

Ryan started back to school today, he's in the 4th grade! Oh my goodness how quickly these past few years have gone. He was all excited though and had laid his clothes out last night and got up this a.m. as soon as I turned his light on. When I asked him what was he most excited about, he replied that they will finally be getting letter grades! WOOHOO!

School "Meet & Greet"

Ryan & his new teacher Mrs. Carpenter

Ryan & I attended the school "meet & greet" last night where we toured a few of the classes, met his new teacher and dropped off his supplies. I've made mention of this before, but we're so happy to live in an area where we know so many of the people in the community and in an area where everyone is so confounded friendly and genuinely nice. As we walked the halls last night we ran into friends from church and it hit me how different we feel like it is here vs how it would have been had we stayed in Dallas. And maybe Dallas would have been different after Ryan had started school. Regardless, it was fun seeing everyone, getting to visit with people and Ryan so enjoyed hearing time and time again how much he had grown over the summer, how tall he is getting, etc. Many of the kids in his grade are ones that they have all been together since their preschool days and it's so cute to see how much they have grown up.

On another blessing note, the community is also fairly diverse. Off the top of my head, I know of four other families that have adopted children from China and at least one of the little girls will be starting school the same year that Emma does. Even our principal has two daughters from China.

In respect to the little ones ... life is good right now.

Back to School

I'm not really sure why we continue this tradition, but when Ryan was getting ready to start kindergarten we gathered up his school supplies and took a picture of him with them. Somehow or another, 5 years later we're still doing that. Along those lines, somehow I had the misguided notion that the school supply list would get shorter each year, not longer!

I still can't believe my little guy will be going into the 4th grade. One day his little foot wasn't even as long as the palm of my hand and before you know it, he's starting 4th grade and past my shoulders. He starts school on Monday and every day he tells me that he can't wait for school to start! If I'm allowed to brag for a minute, he was accepted into the gifted and talented program this year. My sweet baby boy ...

Brian's favorite picture

Of all the pictures taken by Elizabeth (lizzieloo), this was by far Brian's favorite.

I hope no one is tired of seeing all of these ... I'm not tired of showing them off!